Hi everyone, it seems that wildlife is increasing in our neighborhood as each year passes. This year I’m trying to cope with a pesky raccoon who apparently wants to build a nest in my attic. Last night I literally came face to face with one. I heard scratching on my window sill, and when I went to look, there she was looking right back at me through the window!

Normally, I would just set out a baited trap and then take the captured animal out into the countryside and let her loose, far enough away that it would be unlikely for her to return to my house. With my limited mobility, however, this is no longer feasible for me to do. I don’t want to have an animal control outfit come out, as they would probably just euthanize the poor creature after catching it.

So I’m looking for suggestions on how to keep the raccoon away from my house. She often gets on the roof by climbing some of the spruce trees on the north side of my house, but I don’t want to trim any of those trees as they help protect the house during winter snowstorms. I am very careful when I dispose of any trash. The lids are tight on the cans, and there is no odor to attract small animals.

One of my elderly neighbors scatters mothballs around the base of her house, with the theory being that the odor will keep away the raccoons. I am skeptical, but have to admit she hasn’t had any raccoon problems recently.

It would be ideal if I could find a repellent that would keep raccoons away, but I’ve been told that none of them work for very long despite the advertising claims. Does anyone have any experience using products like Critter Ridder? Any other ideas to discourage pesky raccoons??